


Cautionary Tales

by aserenitatum



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: F/F, Mentions of Bechloe, Soz, but it's not happy yall
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-18
Updated: 2018-05-18
Packaged: 2019-05-07 21:27:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14679828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aserenitatum/pseuds/aserenitatum
Summary: “I always thought it was so interesting…” Stacie starts.“What’s that?” Aubrey asks, can’t let the words linger, can’t stop herself from engaging.“That you always seemed to notice Beca’s toner but never mine.”





	Cautionary Tales

**Author's Note:**

> well this took a turn.  
> based on two prompts I got on Tumblr.

“You know…”  

The words are whispered into her ear from behind in that familiar, playful tone and Aubrey can’t stop the smile from taking over her face.  

“There are better things to look at than that,” Stacie flirts, stands just behind Aubrey, close enough for the blonde to know she’s there but not close enough to touch.  

“I wouldn’t know what,” Aubrey says back, sips from her glass and keeps staring, not turning around and facing Stacie.  

“Well, there’s always me,” Stacie taunts.  

“Hmm…” Aubrey hums in a heavily doubting tone and Stacie mock-gasps behind her.  

“You hurt me, Posen,” Stacie says, over-exaggerating, placing a hand on her chest as if wounded.  

Aubrey doesn’t respond then, just smiles and keeps her eyes focused on the couple across the room.  

“I always thought it was so interesting…” Stacie starts again and stops again.  

“What’s that?” Aubrey asks, can’t let the words linger, can’t stop herself from engaging.  

“That you always noticed Beca’s toner but never mine.”  

Aubrey doesn’t seem nearly as surprised by the words as Stacie expects her to be, and Stacie finally shifts to stand next to Aubrey and look at her, finds the blonde _still_  staring at the couple across the room but there’s a knowing smile on her face now.  

“What?”  

“I noticed.”  

Aubrey doesn’t glance at Stacie, but she doesn’t have to, several strangled sounds falling from the brunette’s lips as she tries to figure out a proper response to Aubrey’s words.  

“You were very obvious, Stacie,” Aubrey says, taking pity on her.  

“I—what?”  

“I know you were jealous of Beca,” Aubrey says then, can’t help but taunt Stacie back.  

“No, I wasn’t,” she says, but her petulant tone gives her away, as does the crossing of her arms in defence.  

“Oh, you so were,” Aubrey says with a laugh.  

“You were always so focused on her,” Stacie grumbles and Aubrey smiles because she sounds so much like the freshman version of herself who’d very obviously had a crush on Aubrey.  

“I was trying to make us all a stronger team and she was our weakest link,” Aubrey points out diplomatically.  

“I used to think you liked her,” Stacie admits softly with a grin, knows now that that’s not true but hadn’t known it then.  

Those words are what finally makes Aubrey look away as she shoots Stacie a horrified look. “I thought you were smart?” Aubrey says and Stacie laughs.  

The laughter makes Aubrey turn back to look at the couple across the room, and that makes Stacie frown.  

Aubrey seems to grow sadder then, brow twitching, furrowing as her expression tightens.  

“No, even if I’d had feelings for her—” Aubrey stops, shakes her head with amusement, “—Beca was always off-limits.”  

“And me?”  

“What about you?” Aubrey asks and Stacie rolls her eyes at how deliberately difficult Aubrey is being.  

“Was I off-limits?”  

“All the Bellas were,” Aubrey gives.  

Stacie lets out a groan. “Aubrey…”  

“Yes, you were.”  

“Why’s that?”  

Aubrey shrugs, still staring at the couple across the room and Stacie hates that Aubrey’s holding back, hates that she’s not getting the full story. She steps in front of Aubrey, forces the woman to look at her and Aubrey finally meets her eyes with a soft sigh.  

“I was a senior and you weren’t,” Aubrey gives, but her expression is guarded, unreadable.  

“And now?” Stacie presses.  

“Now what?” Aubrey asks, smiles sadly and Stacie’s not sure what to make of that. “What do you want me to say, Stacie?”  

“Yes.”  

The answer confuses her, and she frowns, takes a step back. “What?”  

“Would you like to go out with me sometime?” Stacie asks with a soft smile and comprehension goes through Aubrey, but she doesn’t smile like Stacie expects her to, looks sad and quirks her mouth as she scrutinises Stacie closely.  

“I’m flattered, Stacie, but no.”  

It’s Stacie’s turn to be confused as the words sink in, as she takes in Aubrey’s small smile and sad eyes. “What?”  

Aubrey takes a deep breath, lets it out slowly.  

“This whole party is a cautionary tale,” Aubrey says, gestures to the space they’re in, to the couple she’d been staring at.  

“This isn’t about them, this is about you and me,” Stacie fights, doesn’t like the way Aubrey seems resolute about something that doesn’t even involve them.  

Aubrey disagrees, makes it very obvious when her mouth quirks again and she frowns.  

“Why not?” Stacie pleads.  

“You’re very attractive, but you’re not my type,” Aubrey says, tries to go for a wry smile and knows she misses it by a wide margin when Stacie leans back, affronted, frowning.  

“I’m everybody’s type,” Stacie says, sounds cocky and sure of herself and there’s finally something they can agree on.  

“Exactly,” Aubrey says, and she can see that Stacie doesn’t immediately get the meaning, so she sips from her wine glass, shoots Stacie another sad smile and turns to go.  

* * *

She doesn’t expect Stacie to find her again so quickly, but it’s barely ten minutes later when she’s joined on the balcony. Her wine glass is empty and she considers going back inside for more but she doesn’t want to have this talk where other people might overhear them. 

Stacie stands silently next to her for a long while, both of them staring out at the dark night.  

“You don’t want me because I used to sleep around?” Stacie asks softly, and her voice is so small and insecure and Aubrey closes her eyes, sighs softly.  

“That’s not what I said.”  

“That’s what it sounded like.” 

“Do you have any idea how heartbroken Chloe is?” Aubrey whispers.  

“What does that—” Stacie starts to ask but Aubrey shoots her a knowing look and despite the earlier joke, Stacie’s not stupid.  

“She stayed for three years, stood by as the girl she loved dated and fell in love with somebody else,” Aubrey says, looks back at the night sky.  

“Why didn’t she say anything?” Stacie says strongly and Aubrey hesitates long enough for Stacie to notice, for her whole expression to falter. “She did.”  

“And it didn’t make any difference,” Aubrey confirms with a wry smile and Stacie finally begins to understand.  

“What if Beca loves her back?” Stacie says. 

“She doesn’t.”  

“And what if I love you?”  

“You don’t.”  

Stacie doesn’t like how resolved Aubrey seems about this, how sure she sounds of herself. “What if I do?”  

Aubrey sighs in exasperation, looks down longingly at her empty wine glass again before turning to look Stacie in the eyes.  

“The fact that you’re saying ‘if’ already says enough,” Aubrey says, tries for a reassuring smile but it has the opposite effect as Stacie frowns.  

Aubrey turns to go, makes it all the way to the door of the ballroom when Stacie finally speaks again.  

“I love you.”  

Aubrey stops, hand on the door and Stacie repeats herself.  

“I love you.”  

“Stop saying that,” Aubrey says angrily, turns to face Stacie with fire in her eyes and Stacie knows it’s wrong but she’s glad to be getting an emotion other than sad determination from the blonde.  

“Even though I mean it?” Stacie pushes.  

“You don’t mean it. You think you do because you think I’m the one that got away.”  

“You _are_ the one that got away,” Stacie says strongly.  

“No, I’m the one you never got to have. There’s a difference.”  

“So what am I to you?”  

“The one I wouldn’t begin to know how to keep,” Aubrey says harshly, the words falling heavily between them, and Aubrey’s eyes go wide at her own admission.  

“What?” Stacie whispers and Aubrey closes her eyes, can’t bear to look at Stacie, shame flooding through her. “That’s what this is about?”  

Aubrey feels like crying or throwing up, and she’s not sure which one would be worse right now. She takes a step back, ends up with her back flat against the door and she flattens her hands against the cool wood to calm herself down.  

“Aubrey?” Stacie says softly, pleadingly. 

“How am I supposed to compete with the world?” Aubrey opens her eyes just in time to see Stacie’s clear bewilderment.  

“The issue isn’t me?”  

“The issue’s never been you, Stacie,” Aubrey admits and it hurts her to see how much that surprises Stacie. “You’re…” She stops, smiles with a soft shake of the head. “You’re so amazing that the whole world falls at your feet.”  

“So what does it tell you that I fall at yours?” Aubrey doesn’t answer her, looks away, stares studiously at the floor behind Stacie. “Aubrey, why do you think you’re not good enough for me?”  

“Because I never am,” Aubrey confesses in a voice so small, Stacie has to strain to hear it.  

Stacie _does_ hear it though, and it confuses her more than anything. She steps closer, to make sure she doesn’t miss anything else and to be closer to Aubrey, then asks, “Good enough for me?”  

“For anybody.”  

A hitch in her breathing is all the sign Aubrey gets that Stacie’s heard her, and when she finally looks at Stacie she finds the brunette looking close to tears, face pulled with sorrow.  

“You think you’re unlovable?”  

“If Chloe, who loves the most, who loves the deepest, can’t have those feelings returned by the love of her life, what chance do I have?”  

“We’re not them,” Stacie pushes. “I’m not Beca and you’re not Chloe and this is not a cautionary tale because we’re not them.”  

Aubrey’s still not looking at her, so Stacie steps closer and forces Aubrey to look up when she can’t look at anything else but Stacie. Aubrey’s eyes are filled with tears, and Stacie smiles softly, sadly, as she reaches out to pull Aubrey away from the door, flits her fingers across Aubrey’s cheek softly.  

“I understand if you don’t like me or if you’re not attracted to me, that’s not going to hurt my feelings. But I don’t want you to not even give me a chance because you think hating yourself means that I can’t love you.”  

Stacie stares at her, makes sure her words are heard before smiling tenderly, leaning in to softly brush her lips against Aubrey’s cheek. Aubrey’s eyes flutter closed at the contact, and then Stacie’s gone, hand slipping away from her and Aubrey hears the door behind her click closed and she takes a shuddering breath.  

* * *

“Dance with me?”  

Stacie smiles, twists in her chair to look at Aubrey.  

“I thought you left,” Stacie says, but it’s not meant maliciously and Aubrey smiles.  

“I did.”  

That seems to puzzle Stacie, but Aubrey shakes her head to brush off the question in Stacie's eyes, motions to the dance floor where a few of the bridesmaids are dancing and Stacie follows her gaze with a soft frown.  

“I want to talk to you,” Stacie pleads and Aubrey’s expression softens. She holds out her hand, wriggles her fingers a little to urge Stacie to join her and the brunette gazes down at the digits, can’t help but smile as she takes Aubrey’s hand.  

She’s surprised when Aubrey tangles their fingers and tugs Stacie along behind her, but when they reach the edge of the dance floor, Aubrey doesn’t step onto the wood laminate, instead keeps walking until they’re back on the balcony from before, this time with the door cracked open a bit to let the music filter in.  

Aubrey smiles coyly as she steps closer to Stacie, slides a hand onto the woman’s shoulder as Stacie carefully puts her hand on Aubrey’s waist and then they’re swaying slowly to the faint music.  

Their gazes are locked, and Aubrey watches her closely, sees the way Stacie looks at her, the way Stacie holds her, how open and earnest she is and she feels a pang of guilt go through her when she sees how hesitant Stacie is. She’d always been bold and forward and she seems almost timid, afraid to scare Aubrey off.  

“I—” she tries to say but she can’t find the words, not with Stacie’s green eyes boring into her and she looks away, brow furrowing in frustration.  

“Is it easier if you don’t look at me?” Stacie asks quietly and Aubrey looks down with a quick smile at how attentive the woman is being. She doesn’t answer, doesn’t want Stacie to pull away and give her space but then she’s pleasantly surprised when Stacie pulls her closer.  

She lifts their joined hands up and urges Aubrey to put that hand on her shoulder and when Aubrey does, Stacie loops both her arms around Aubrey’s waist, pulls her intimately close and her eyes flutter closed at the gentle contact.  

“I think I…” Aubrey sighs, takes a moment and Stacie doesn’t let go, doesn’t stop moving them along to the music. “I’m in love with you and I’m terrified.”  

She can feel Stacie falter, can feel the way she’s trying to pull away to read Aubrey’s face so she slides her hands up, loops her arms around Stacie’s as she steps even closer, trapping the brunette in her embrace.  

“Because I could break your heart?” Stacie whispers, and they’re so close that Aubrey can feel Stacie holding her breath.  

“Because I could break yours.”  

“You were right earlier,” Stacie says and Aubrey frowns at the turn of topic. “When you said they’re a cautionary tale.”  

Aubrey doesn’t know how to respond, but her breath hitches involuntarily and Stacie tightens her arm around her.  

“You were wrong about one thing, though…”  

“What’s that?” Aubrey asks.  

“Thinking that you’re Chloe in this situation,” she says thickly and her eyes close as she turns her face into Aubrey’s hair. “You’ll move on and I’ll be heartbroken. _I’m_ Chloe. I’m the girl who loves too much and you’re the one turning me down.”  

Aubrey’s eyes fill with tears as her resolve finally crumbles, when she hears how close to tears Stacie sounds, because she’d come to the same conclusion after she’d left to be alone with her thoughts. “Yeah…”  

“What?” Stacie asks with a sharp intake of breath, as if she hadn’t expected the answer.  

“You’re right.”  

“Really?”  

“I don’t want to marry a guy I don’t love because I’m too afraid of my feelings,” Aubrey says, gestures vaguely to the open door.  

“I would also very much like it if that didn’t happen,” Stacie says shakily, tries to lighten the mood and succeeds when Aubrey laughs brokenly.  

“You’re in love with me,” Aubrey says more than asks and Stacie nods, so she presses closer, brushes her lips against Stacie’s cheek.  

“You’re in love with me.”   

“Now what?”  

“Now… we go out on a date and I kiss you and we live happily ever after.”  

“That easy?” Aubrey asks and she can feel Stacie smile against her cheek.  

“That easy,” Stacie mutters encouragingly, nuzzles Aubrey’s cheek softly, presses a series of light kisses to the blonde’s jaw.  

“Does the order matter?” Aubrey asks coyly and Stacie’s smile widens as she shakes her head, hand moving away from Aubrey’s waist long enough to close the door to the ballroom.  

“Not really,” Stacie whispers as she shifts away slightly, reaches up to brush her thumb across Aubrey’s cheek as she stares down at Aubrey with a smile. “So?” she asks, and Aubrey remembers the answer she wants, the answer she’d told her she wants to hear.  

Aubrey moves her hands along the back of Stacie’s neck, fingers sliding into the soft hair at the nape of her neck as she leans in and carefully brushes her lips against Stacie’s.  

“Yes.”  


End file.
